Shank-stiffener reenforcing and attaching means



SHANK STIFFENER REENFORCING AND ATTACHING MEANS Filed llay 19, 1924 "i\\mm\\\\\m\\\\\\\\\\ fivvgrvibr 646% m 0% LQQZ. y

Patented Dec. 2, 1924.

OSCAR FERN, OF NEWBURYPORT, MAS$AOHUSETTS SHANK-STIFFENER REENFORCING AND ATTACHING- MEANS.

Application filed May 19, 1924.

insert therein a leather or leather board shank stiffener which extends from the heel end of the shoe to the ball portion. This stiffener is ultimately held in position by the heel attaching nails, but, in many instances, is not otherwise secured in position except with cement which gives way when the shoe is worn. The ordinary stiffener has but little inherent stiffness, and it is customary to re inforce it in the shank portion by means of a wood ormetal strip, which is attached to the under side thereof. Unless, however, means are provided for securing the stiffener thus reinforced directly to the shank portion of the sole the results secured are unsatisfactory, because the stiffening effect which the stiffener might have on the sole is only partly secured and there is more or less objectionable play between the sole and shank part of the stiffener. While fasteners may be driven through the shank of the sole from the outer side thereof, so as to secure these parts together, such method is highly objectionable, because of the fact that the heads of the fasteners show and injure the appearance of the shoe bottom. Various methods have been attempted to secure the shank part of the stiffener and the reenforcing piece to the shank part of the sole without disfigurement of the outer surface thereof, and while the results were successful so far as this object was concerned, yet they have, so far as I am aware, been unsuccessful for other reasons, particularly excessive cost of the stiffening device itself or of labor.

The objects of my invention are to provide an improved means for supplementally reenforcing the shank stiffener and at the same time to provide means whereby the sole and stiffener may be securely attached in the middle portion of the shank at little or no additional labor cost, and which adds but slightly to the expense of the ordinary metal stiffener reinforce now in general use.

I accomplish these ob ects by provlding, 111

Serial No. 714,311.

connection with an ordinary form of metal reinforce which is bent longitudinally in channel form and has prongs at its ends for attachment to the stiffener, a supplemental reinforce which is adapted to be nested in the main reinforce and has end prongs extending therethrough which are adapted to penetrate the outer sole nearly to its surface and to be up-set, or clinched therein by pounding on the shank portion of the sole.

For a more complete understanding of my invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which:

F ig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a shoe in which my invention is embodied.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a shank stiffener provided with my improved form of reenforcing means.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the main and supplemental metal reenforcing strips.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail perspective views thereof and Fig. 7 is a cross section at line 77 of Fig. 3 on an enlarged scale.

The shoe indicated in Fig. 1 is a common form of turn shoe having an outer sole a and a leather shank stiffener piece 6, of ordinary form, which extends from the heel end to the ball.

I further provide a metal reinforce 0 which is adapted to extend throughout approximately the entire length of the shank, said reinforce being bent into a concave form, or into a somewhat U-form, throughout the greater portion of its length, to give it additional strength or stiffness, each end portion thereof being flattened and provided at their ends with a pair of prongs (Z, which extend at right angles thereto from the concave side. This reenforcing strip, which I term the main reinforce, is of well known form. According to my invention, I provide a relatively short supplemental reenforcing strip 6 which is also bent into a concave or U-form, similar to that of the reinforce 0, so that it may be nested therein, as shown in Figs. 4 and 7. Each end portion of the supplemental reinforce e is also extended at right angles from its convex side, to form a single pointed prong f and apertures g are formed through the main reinforce c in the middle line thereof at a distance from each other corresponding to the distance between the prongs 7, so that when the supplemental reinforce is placed in position in the main reinforce, the prongs f will extend therethrough and the supplemental reinforce will be permitted to seat firmly throughout its entire length 011 the concave side of the main reinforce, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6.

Before applying the reenforcing strips to a shoe, the supplemental strip is placed in position in the main strip, as shown in Fig. 4, and then they are placed in position on the under side of the stiffener 7) and the prongs (Z are driven therein and clenched, so as to attach them securely thereto, as shown in Fig. 1. The stiffener is then placed in position in the shoe and may be temporarily held in place by means of tacks in the heel. The shoe may then be relasted, or, before doing this, it may be placed on an iron last and struck a few blows with a hammer on the shank causing the prongs to be driven into the sole and their pointed ends to be clenched or up-set therein, so that the supplemental reinforce a will be securely attached thereto, thereby in turn attaching the main reinforce c and the stifiener b thereto, as indicated in Fig. 1. The prongs f are preferably of such length that when the shank of the sole is struck with a hammer, to drive them therein, the ends of the prongs will not emerge beyond the outer surface of the sole, but will penetrate to the surface, so that they may be upset or clenched in the leather without being visible from the exterior of the shoe. If, however, the pointed end portions of the prongs should emerge to a slight extent, so that they are clenched on the sole surface, the amount of metal exposed will be so slight that it will not be noticeable, as said end portions will be buried in the leather. The operation of driving the prongs 7 into the sole and clenching them may also be performed, if preferred, during the beatingout process.

As a result, however, the reinforced shank stiffener will be securely attached to the sole in the shank portion thereof, so that the shank of the shoe will be effectively stifi ened, and the previously noted objections will be obviated.

I claim 1. In combination with a main metal reenforcing strip for a shoe shank stiffener having means at its ends for attaching it at its upper side to the under side. of: the stiffener and a pair of intermediate apertures, a supplemental metal rcenforcing strip disposed on the upper side of said main strip and having prongs extending through said apertures and adapted to penetrate the outer sole of a shoe. to attach the stiffener to the sole.

In combination with a main reenf'orcing strip for a shoe-shank stiffener having its intermediate portion bent to form a concave upper side and a convex under side and having means projecting at each end from the upper side for attaching the same to the stiffener, a correspondingl bent supplemental metal reenforcing strip having its convex side seated in the concave side of said main strip and having prongs at its ends extending through said main strip and adapted to be forced into the shoe sole to attach the stiffener thereto.

In combination with a main reenforcing strip for a shoe-shank stiffener having a U-shaped intermediate portion provided with a pair of suitably spaced apertures in the middle line thereof and right angularl disposed prongs projecting from each en thereof at its concave sides, a similarly U-shaped supplemental metal reenforcing strip nested in the intermediate portion of said main strip and having an integrally formed prong extending right angularly in the middle line thereof from each end through said apertures in position to penetrate the shank portion of a shoe sole.

In testimony whereof, I have signedv my name to this specification.

OSCAR FERN 

